Pacquiao OK by Oct. – Arum

Manny Pacquao can return to the ring as early as October or November assuming the eight-division champion decides to return to the ring, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum told TEMPO.

Reporting from Los Angeles yesterday, Arum revealed that if the Filipino star finds the time to break free from his Senate job, he will be more than happy to stage his comeback bout in the US.

Pacquiao, who turns 38 in December, announced his retirement after dominating Tim Bradley last April in Las Vegas but opened the door on the possibility of coming back.

Top Rank still has Pacquiao under contract until the end of next year and the 84-year-old Arum won’t hesitate to book him a fight or even two more if the fighter gets the hang of it once more.

“He has to tell me if he is going to fight and if he does, I will get him a fight,” said Arum, who doesn’t have plans of putting the pressure on Pacquiao.

There are attractive options for Pacquiao and Arum is toying with the idea of pitting him against an emerging star from Ukraine.

Vasily Lomachenko, the new champion at 130 lbs, can move up in weight and face Pacquiao, according to Arum, sounding thrilled about the prospects of seeing the all-time great take on a budding legend-killer.

Meanwhile, Arum bared that plans are afoot for Nonito Donaire to defend his world super-bantamweight crown in September in the country with Top Rank joining hands anew with ABS-CBN.